


Moonlight

by potsiedorie, Winter_Emberz



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: A bit of torture, A little bit dark(?), Angst, Injury, Kidnapping, M/M, Pain, Plot Twists, Recovery, Yeah a lot happens, eruri - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-12
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-05-02 02:38:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19190248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/potsiedorie/pseuds/potsiedorie, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winter_Emberz/pseuds/Winter_Emberz
Summary: Levi has a headache but he hides it from Erwin, knowing how busy he is especially with an expedition planned for the next day. What Levi doesn’t know is the predicament this will result in...————————————————“Black dots danced in Levi’s periphery while he took deep breaths to steady himself. He didn’t think much of it, deemed it to be rather unimportant in comparison to the fate of humanity they would have to defend when morning came.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story collaborated with @potsiedorie. We may or may not be able to continue to collab. If we cannot, I will be continuing the story on my own.  
> Hope you all like it :D  
> Feedback and plot suggestions for the story are always appreciated <3  
> Feel free to message or follow me on tumblr  
> https://ackerman-12-25.tumblr.com/

The sun was lowering behind the walls around them slowly. The sky appeared to have a golden hue, flickering through oranges and reds as the day made room for nightfall. It would’ve been a sight to behold were it not for the haziness of it all.

Black dots danced in Levi’s periphery while he took deep breaths to steady himself. He didn’t think much of it, deemed it to be rather unimportant in comparison to the fate of humanity they would have to defend when morning came.

It felt like a great burden as well as something extraordinary. To have this many citizen putting their faith in the hands of a bunch of war machines like himself felt unreal. How could they, when they’d seen Wall Maria fall before their very eyes, when their sons and daughters failed to return into their loving arms after expeditions, when their young children were sent to military training to become hardened soldiers? It was incredible to see the people bounce back after such devastating ordeals and continue their regular business as though nothing had happened at all. Levi could see why Erwin believed in their survival. They were the true survivors here.

He looked back down from the clouds. Now that the world wasn’t spinning as badly anymore, he felt well enough to go back inside. While the fresh air had been nice, he needed to finish his last preparations. His horse had been tended to, his gear was clean and his saddlebags filled with the essentials. All that lasted was a visit to the Commander to sign some papers. He never really cared for such nonsensical formalities, but Erwin said it was necessary and he wouldn’t argue with him. If anything, it was another reason to see each other before departure, which was nice. 

He meandered into headquarters with light steps. There were some soldiers wandering through the halls still, but most had gone to their barracks. A wise decision, because they would have a lot to endure when reveille came tomorrow and during the expedition sleep would be nothing but a precious memory. 

The heavy wooden door to Erwin’s office was slightly ajar when he arrived. It was welcoming gesture for the Captain, who was known to barge in without knocking either way. With his palm flat against the surface he gave it a push, revealing the candle lit room the Commander occupied. It was like coming home when he saw the corners of Erwin’s mouth curl up in a soft smile upon noticing his presence.

He was s itting behind his desk. He was wearing his dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up halfway, his leather military jacket discarded over the back of his chair carelessly and paperwork scattered around him. It appeared to be rather unorganized and while this was nothing compared to the actual dumping ground Han ji ’s office had turned into over the years, Levi’s hands itched with the need to tidy up. He opted to alter  his gaze through the window behind the Commander instead. Now was not the time to worry about cleanliness, he needed to focus. Erwin cleared his throat, accustomed to the Captain’s generally reserved nature he hadn’t really expected a greeting of any kind. 

 

“Excuse the mess, Levi. Please come in and sit with me.” He gestured to the empty chair on the other side of the desk and motioned his colleague to come closer.

“I’d like to discuss a few details through before departure. Help yourself to some liquor if you’d like.”

 

Levi did as he was asked but decided against the drink he’s been offered. With the way he’d been feeling as of late he doubted he would be able to stomach it. 

Once Levi was comfortably settled across from him, Erwin pushed some trinkets and unrelated items to the side, revealing the familiar forms they’d have to fill in together. Levi frowned at Erwin’s bare forearms. He had been cold all day, despite having had good weather for most of the week. It had only rained on Sunday, which was unfortunate since he’d been in the middle of it. Mike and Hanji had laughed at him when they had seen him walk inside, pissed off and drenched with water. Even his own Squad members had snickered at his appearance. It was their loss, truly. On Monday, Levi had watched with clear amusement on his features as they suffered through a rather intense training session. An eye for an eye.

The mandatory paperwork took the two about twenty minutes, and it wasn’t long until their conversation strayed from work to more personal matters. Erwin spoke of an incident he’d stumbled upon in town earlier that day and Levi allowed himself to chuckle when the blonde flailed his arms wildly, portraying the way some elderly woman ended up falling in the fountain on the square he’d passed by. Their banter came naturally. While Erwin loved Levi’s dry humor and sarcastic, often cynical remarks, Levi couldn’t get enough of the typical dad-jokes he pretended to dislike for the sake of maintaining his unimpressed persona. Erwin somehow could see through that and kept them coming at a steady pace. It was good fun while it lasted. 

They sat there in the soft glow of several candles until the flames flickered out gently, Erwin’s glass of whiskey and Levi’s ever-growing headache long forgotten in this precious moment together. As the weakened sunrays outside made place for cool silver moonlight, the two said their goodbyes. It was time to get some rest, there was a big day ahead of them tomorrow.

The next morning Levi awoke groggily, squinting at the sunlight pouring in through his window. Shit. He had overslept. Something felt off about his body  the moment he opened his eyes  and his suspicions were confirmed when he slid out of his bed to dress. Levi placed his hand on the cool surface of the wall to steady himself as a crushing headache pulsed through his skull.  This was definitely not a good sign, especially on the day of the expedition.

Cursing under his breath, Levi fumbled with his uniform, managing to pull them on just before another wave of pain forced him to lean against the wall for support. He let out a shaky breath. He had dismissed the headache as something trivial, believing he would be better in the morning. He certainly didn’t expect  this. Levi closed his eyes for a moment, in an attempt to steady himself.

He couldn’t let his condition get in the way during the expedition. Erwin was counting on him and Levi wasn’t about to make a petty excuse so that he could rest. The future of humanity lay in their hands and everyone in the survey corps bore that weight. To take place in the upcoming expedition wasn’t a choice. Levi composed himself, locking his flurry of thoughts behind his usual impassive eyes. He tightened his cloak as he left his room, the air feeling chillier than it should be. 

Levi quickly mounted his horse and joined his squad near the front of the formation. 

 

“Captain!” cried Petra, upon noticing him. “We were beginning to wonder where you had gone. Oluo  said something about you oversleeping- “

“Eh? Nonsense !” cut across Oluo. “I said the Captain was probably busy preparing the expedition with the commander”.

Petra opened her mouth to argue but closed it again when she noticed how pale Levi was.

“Tch. Enough, both of you,” said Levi, slightly growing annoyed at their bickering.

“Captain… Are you all right?” she asked tentatively. 

“I’m fine,” he muttered, turning his gaze away from her. “I’m going to report to Erwin. All of you stay here”.

“Yes, sir!” they said , saluting him.

 

Levi rode his horse up to the very front of the wall, where Erwin was overseeing the last preparations. Erwin paused shouting out orders when he saw Levi approaching him. 

“Anything you need help with?” asked Levi.

Erwin shook his head. “No, but thank you. We’re almost done. Is your squad ready?”

Levi gave a short nod, noticing how the citizens were coming out of their houses to watch  the corps.

“Good. We’ll be leaving in about a minute, so you should get back to them.”

“All right,” said Levi, going back to the path he came from. “And Erwin… ”

Erwin looked at him, the piercing blue eyes connecting with the silvery gray orbs.

“Don’t die.”

Erwin let out a small chuckle, a laugh only reserved for Levi. 

“You know how careful I am. There’s no need for you to worry.”

With the confirmation,  Levi  pulled the reigns on his horse and went back to his squad who were all waiting for him.

“The gates are going to open anytime soon,” he said.

 

Sure enough, just as he finished talking there was a loud creak as the wall lifted, opening a narrow passage for them.

“The expedition starts now! Advance!” shouted Erwin from the front.

Levi set his concentration on the path in front of him. ‘Always so noble and ambitious,’ he thought. But again, it was Erwin after all.

As Levi urged his horse forward, he felt another headache beginning to accumulate in his head.  Even with  the cool air  blowing across the wide landscape and the golden rays of the sun  peeking  above the horizon,  they did very little to improve his mood.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a longer update :)  
> This time there will be an additional POV... Erwin Smith!! XD  
> If you love AOT, check out my tumblr blog : https://ackerman-12-25.tumblr.com/

Their expeditions were always thoroughly planned. There was hardly room for delay and it was Commander Smith who was held responsible for any mishaps throughout. Even if the Squad Leaders or soldiers did something wrong, it would be Erwin who’d have to answer for it.

Therefore, when Levi noticed he was getting a bit too ill to function, he kept quiet. He couldn’t make his comrades wait for him to catch up with them and besides that, it was straight up shameful to give up this early in the expedition. His pride wouldn’t let him.

He was positioned in the far front of the formation, Special Operations Squad beside him and Erwin only a little bit ahead. If he were to speed up a little, he would be able to ride along with him. He would, later. He didn’t want to come across desperate. He wasn’t, it was just the headache talking. Surely it was normal to crave a little comfort when feeling under the weather, and there was no need to go looking for attention now.

“Captain, sorry to intrude, but are you sure you’re okay?” It was Eld Jinn, steering his stallion a little closer to the smaller man. “You look like death.”

Levi huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, exactly the semblance I was going for. Who knows, maybe the enemies will shit themselves before we even fight.”

 

Eld cocked his head to the side. Little strands of blonde hair had fallen from his bun to dangle in his face, up and down along with the fast pace of his horse. He was a good companion to the Captain and they shared the same straightforward manner of speaking. It made him an easy person to talk to. No need to dance around the subject.

“That gives little reassurance. Could you confirm that you are, in fact, feeling well?”

“No.”

“Hah. Fair enough. But I do hope you’re keeping track with your condition.”

“Of course.”

They remained silent for a while. Levi’s thoughts were drifting and his white-knuckled grip on the reigns failed to loosen. While he was normally relaxed and balanced, he felt like any wrong movement would be enough to make him fall this time around. It was only when his second in command began to fall back to his original spot in the formation that Levi was momentarily snapped out of his hazy state of being.

“Eld. Don’t tell the others. I don’t need them to fuss.”

“Is that an order?”

“Yes.”

Obviously, there was a fitting look of desperation on Eld’s face but he knew better than to argue. Levi was glad. He didn’t want to deal with a stressed-out Petra right now. She was likely to make a scene over minor injuries and little hurts he gained over the course of their missions, trying to take care of him like a mother would. Levi didn’t need that, never had anything like it and wasn’t able to get used to it. It was too foreign and thoroughly unsettling.

His other squad members often felt the same as she did, but they never really caused any hassle over his well-being. His usual glare of death was enough to make them settle down. Petra, on the other hand, was immune to it when she was in mother hen mode. It was annoying at best.

 

With the wind rushing through their hair and the familiar pull of their deep green cloaks around their shoulders, they made short work of the first distance before rest. By the time they were ordered to set up camp, Levi could feel a thin sheen of cold sweat on his skin, the feeling most clammy and unpleasant. The headache he’d been trying to suppress was still present, sending waves of pain through his skull. He wouldn’t call it agony, but it was getting close. His vision was unclear and his breathing irregular.

He knew that his second in command was aware, and that Petra was concerned, but as far as he knew the Commander was clueless on the matter. The blonde was always deeply caught up in his work whenever they entered the field, and it wouldn’t be the first time Levi managed to sneak away with an injury or malady.

His suspicions were confirmed when he found a rough, strong hand clamping down on his shoulder, sending a wave of pain through his head as he was jostled.

“Levi, fancy setting up my tent together? Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.”

“Hmm.” He muttered, closing his eyes for a brief few seconds to regain his composure and to will the pain away. This was getting worse by the minute and it worried him. When Erwin smiled and let go of him, Levi winced at the pressed-down fabric sticking to his shoulder and neck. Why he was sweating this badly was obvious. He was coming down with a fever, he was almost certain.

He’d survived fevers though, he was no stranger to the godawful feeling, having endured it many timed back Underground. He was less fit then, somewhat malnourished and not getting nearly enough sunlight, so it had been a while since he had last fallen ill.

That didn’t mean he wasn’t going to set up that damned tent to the best of his abilities, though. This type of alone time with Erwin was as good as any.

 

 

Shivering and swaying ever so slightly on his feet, Levi followed Erwin to the place where they would make camp. A bundle of cloth was already on the ground with a tangled set of ropes next to it. Levi crouched down and wordlessly began to untangle the ropes and spread out the sheets. Behind him, Erwin seemed to be struggling with something that seemed like their sleeping bags.

“What’s the sleeping arrangement?” asked Levi.

“I thought we’d sleep in pairs so that we can reduce the trouble of setting up tents,” said Erwin.

“Good plan,” he replied with a small nod.

By the time Levi had finished with the tent, his hands were visibly trembling in front of him and they were numb to everything he touched. He exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself down and managed to stand up with the support of a spare rod. This headache was becoming a serious problem. He couldn’t think straight, let alone function properly. He felt clumsy and his vision was out of focus. Nonetheless, Levi sat down on the ground next to Erwin who was mapping out their formation for tomorrow.

“The tent’s finished,” he said.

Erwin looked up from his work, surprised. Knowing Erwin, Levi doubted he even noticed him sitting down next to him.

“That was quicker than I expected,” said Erwin. “I’m sorry, I meant to help you with it right after I finished reviewing the notes for tomorrow…”

“Nah, it’s fine. Besides, it’s better than you getting in the way all the time,” said Levi, attempting at a half joke which wasn’t even funny.

But Erwin chuckled, and he brought out the maps before Levi.

“We were lucky to avoid titans today,” said Erwin.

Levi nodded, his eyes growing heavier by each passing second.

“Yeah… we were,” he murmured, trying to keep his voice under control despite the headache thrashing inside his skull.

 

Levi only half listened to what Erwin was saying, his head pounding painfully with each heartbeat. He tried to concentrate, but he couldn’t process a single word of what Erwin was saying. The sound around him seemed to all blend in as one, humming undistinguishably in his ears. When Levi felt like he was about to pass out at any second, he stood up, using Erwin for support.

 

“Levi?” asked Erwin, momentarily pausing his endless droning.

“Gotta sleep. See you,” was all Levi managed to say before dragging his sleeping bag into the tent and collapsing on to it.

He was shivering badly now, and he looked for additional clothing to cover himself. He saw a vague outline of a green lump, his vision blurred by the fever. Without thinking, he grabbed the cloth, and snuggled into his sleeping bag. Just before he blacked out, he thought the cloth smelled familiar, something comforting that drew him into the safety of the soft fabric.

 

 

ERWIN'S POV

 

Erwin stared silently at the back of his friend retreating into the tent. Had he done something wrong? Levi had stoop up suddenly and went inside without any explanation. He’d sounded very tired and bored. Was Levi running out of patience with him? A rush of thoughts passed Erwin’s mind as he stood up himself and went to look for Hanji and Mike.

He found Hanji setting up her tent and Mike, a little further away smelling the air. Hanji noticed Erwin approaching and waved her hand cheerfully.

“Hey, Erwin! Are you in for a little campfire chat tonight? And where’s Levi?”

Erwin glanced around quickly to make sure Hanji and Mike were the only ones listening.

“Yeah, about that, I need your advice,” said Erwin quietly.

“Make a fire and wait for me,” he told her.

Later that night, when most of the soldiers had gone to sleep, Erwin found Hanji and Mike sitting across from each other with the fire burning between them. Erwin sighed as he sat down, the burdens of life weighing him down.

“What’s the matter? Did something happen between you and Levi? Where is he anyway?” asked Hanji in a rush.

“Not so fast,” said Erwin. “There’s something off about Levi, but I can’t quite place it,” he said slowly.

“Any unusual behaviors you’ve noticed?” asked Mike.

“No, none that I could see. It’s just that he seemed really tired… he was probably tired of me,” said Erwin.

Mike seemed to ponder this for a second.

“I don’t think he’d ever get tired of you, Erwin,” he said.

“He never shuts up about you anyway,” added Hanji.

Erwin let out a halfhearted laugh.

“Ha… Well I suppose so… But something’s definitely wrong, only I don’t know what.”

Hanji rubbed his shoulders with her hand.

“Don’t worry too much. He’ll come around, you know how he is,” she reassured him.

Erwin smiled slightly.

“Thanks, Hanji. I guess I was overreacting.”

“We should all try to get some sleep,” said Mike.

“Yeah… Let’s call it a night,” said Erwin in agreement. He was getting a little weary himself as well.

 

He wished good night to Hanji and Mike before he walked back to his tent.

Upon opening the flap of the entrance, he saw Levi curled into a ball in a corner with something wrapped tightly around him. Erwin’s heart warmed when he realized that it was his cloak.

But it was quite unusual for Levi to get cold even with his cloak on. Erwin frowned but took the opportunity to drape an extra piece of clothing over Levi before getting into his own sleeping bag and falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter :) The next update will be around July 1st!  
> If you have any plot/idea suggestions for the story, leave them in the comments. There's a high chance they will be included in the story .


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all liking the story so far!  
> To get notifications about the updates, follow me on tumblr : https://ackerman-12-25.tumblr.com/  
> Things are really going to start moving from this chapter XD  
> IMPORTANT NOTE AT END !!!!!!!!!

LEVI'S POV

 

The night felt too short. Levi had barely slept when Erwin woke him up telling him the sun would be up soon. Levi noticed the extra blanket Erwin had given him while he was sleeping and his expression softened.

He silently prepared for the second day outside the walls. He still felt like shit and his condition hadn’t improved in the slightest. His head felt as if it was going to split open and he was still shivering from the cold. But this was no time to fuss. The titans would be active soon and they had to hurry.

Today, they rode besides one another. Levi to the left with his Squad hovering behind him and Erwin a little further to the right. There was much ground to cover and little time to do so, which is why the entirety of the Corps had been forced out of their tents at an ungodly hour this morning. Needless to say, most soldiers were tired. Awfully so.  
   For Levi himself, the first half of the day appeared to have passed by in the blink of an eye, for despite the long couple of hours he’d slept his mind remained foggy. He knew he’d gotten dressed and helped take down the tents, after which he had saddled his stallion successfully.  
   At some point he’d given his Squad a short briefing to remind them of the objective of their travels and then Petra had asked him to assist her with her 3dm gear. He remembered that he’d re-buckled the belts around her waist and down her legs, because she had not pulled them tight enough.  
   He would think a soldier with her level of experience should be able to tie their own belts but for some reason she insisted for him to wrap them around her instead. She had muttered something about her hands being more delicate than his rougher ones. It made sense, in befuddled mind.

It was no effort to get the job done for her and she seemed happy when he helped. Levi had gone through the motions feeling like he was floating somehow, the ever-present migraine the only thing keeping him grounded. The routine he’d gone through that morning was effortless but straining at the same time. He wished he’d woken up feeling better but instead he had gotten worse, and thus he felt grateful for the dumb and thoughtless tasks he had been asked to do. There was no chance in hell that he’d be able to do anything too complicated today, his mind was all jumbled.  
   He looked up at the cloudless sky overhead. It was nice out.

The sun was shining and the soft whistle of the wind was barely enough to cool them down. Erwin had mentioned that too, earlier. That it was a beautiful day. Levi had nodded in agreement, although he could feel sweat trickling from his neck all the way down to his lower back.

Admitting that he’d been feeling overheated and unwell would be a downer on the Commander’s mood and there was no need to be so selfish. So with his perfectly impassive stare neatly in place, Levi let Erwin enjoy this sunny day. He could complain about it to Hanji later, if she cared enough to listen. He was looking forward to delivering an epic rant about how disgusting all these sweaty soldiers were, himself included. Everybody smelled like horse and blood throughout the expeditions and it was thoroughly sickening.

With the heat beating down on them, they rode across big clearings and fields. Levi swayed in his saddle, pinched the bridge of his nose when the pounding in his head became too persistent to ignore.

 

“If you are ill, you should tell the Commander.”

 

Levi wasn’t sure when Eld had decided to ride next to him but he didn’t like it. His Squad didn’t need to be all fussy about him and he didn’t need them to see him in this state. He was clearly not on top of his game. Eld cocked his head to the side, waiting for an answer.

Levi shrugged, perhaps if he answered truthfully Eld would go away.

“It’s useless information. He can’t do anything about it so he doesn’t need to know.”  
The man raised an eyebrow. “You’re visibly shaking.”

“You’re being a nuisance.”

Eld stared at him for an uncomfortably long while, but thankfully rested his case before the Captain got truly pissed. Having a caring team was good at times, but it wasn’t great when you were busy trying to manage the stupid ailments they kept interrogating you about.

He would buy Eld a drink later, once they got home. Tell him that he was a good guy and let that count as a suitable apology. He wasn’t in the right mind to say sorry now. Eld could go sulk in a corner until he felt better. Behind him, he heard him speak lowly to Petra, who muttered something equally unintelligible in response.

They were talking about him, but Levi couldn’t care less. Not when the world kept tilting to the side dangerously. Not when the heat building up in his body was too much as his trembling fingers struggled to clench onto the reigns. His heart was beating too fast, breathing shallow. He was beginning to fear that he was going to fall of his horse, it was a matter of minutes.

Blurry vision revealed Erwin’s head tilted back, mouth moving as though he was yelling something.

 

“Captain! A titan!” Eld interjected.  
The sound of thunderous footsteps accompanied his words. Levi squinted against sun rays to look back at the Commander.

“-Abnormal! You need to take it down while I lead them away! On my mark!”

 

Levi whipped his head around, and indeed, there was a Titan coming into their direction from their flank, unnaturally fast and most definitely ready to kill. When that had happened was beyond the Captain, who’d had failed to notice anything in the foggy dreamscape his consciousness drifted through.

The Titan they were dealing with was broad shouldered and its claw-like fingers dragged behind it as it covered ground, leaving deep tears into the soil underneath. It wore nothing to cover its body, not even skin. To Levi’s horror the insides of the monstrosity were clearly visible, barely kept in place by what appeared to be some kind of see-through membrane, shiny mucus glittering in the beams of golden daylight. The limbs were lengthy, but well-built with muscle. He could see them flex with each gigantic step, coming closer and closer.

The size of the thing was unreal. It could likely take out dozens of soldiers with just one hand. Erwin ordered the entire company to pick up their pace, riders spurring on their horses to push onward, faster to outrun it. If they allowed this Titan to close in on them there would be no telling how many casualties they’d suffer.

 

“Straight across the Nape, Levi! Wait for it, just a little longer.”

 

Realization hit him far too late. Erwin was telling him to take it down. Alone. He was going to have to kill it while the others got themselves to safety. He couldn’t argue now, the thing was too close already. Time was up. The beast was his to defeat and it wasn’t good. He could feel Eld and Petra’s nervous gaze on his back as he weighed his options. His Squad knew this wasn’t going to work but Erwin never doubted him. Levi hadn’t given him any reason to. He could never let his Commander down.

He took a breath. In. Out. To steady his mind. His body. The Titan was nearing his range of attack. Levi inhaled again. One of the newer soldiers screamed in terror when nobody moved to take the nearing danger out. The Veterans knew for a fact that the Captain would take care of it and remained calm. They all heard sound of its wheezing grunts with the effort it took to approach these tiny humans, these moving targets. Levi made his choice.

He began steering away from the Corps, closing in on the Titan and separating himself from the safety of the formation. He exhaled softly. The black dots that lingered in his line of vision danced slowly. He locked eyes with the Titan. It had no eyelids, just big white orbs that stared back relentlessly. Levi didn’t think. Just breathed.

 

“ON THREE!” Erwin’s voice was loud and full of authority.

 

With a soldier’s obedience he loosened his feet from the stir-ups and pushed himself up in the saddle. Follow your orders, do as you’re told. “ONE!” The deep black manes of his stallion tickled his knuckles when he let go of the reigns. Some voices whooped in nervous encouragement.

The new recruits looked on in awe.

His Squad looked on in absolute terror.

 

There were no questions in Levi’s mind. All he had to do was to follow the task he was given. He could do that. He’d done it so many times before. “TWO!” If Erwin said he could do it, he would. He found his balance in the saddle when he stood up straight, moving his body in sync with the galloping hooves, keeping his center steady. If he had to stay upright for much longer, he was going to faint.

Now a lot further back, Petra looked away. He’d created a good distance between the formation and himself, a space where he could take down this monstrosity without any casualties on their side. The handles of his swords laid familiarly in his hands, his boots planted firmly onto rich leather of the saddle as he stood upright, ready to jump when Erwin gave him his cue.

Fight or flight never was his choice to make. To flee you need a way out. In this scenario, there was none. Refusing orders was a crime, even if he was too sick to do it. Refusing orders would hurt Erwin, and he didn’t want any harm to come to the man he loved so much.

  
“THREE!”

 

Sharp grapple hooks sprang free from their confines and soared straight towards their target. Within a second, they connected with the transparent sheen that lay over thick layers of muscle and bone, sinking into flesh and dragging through until they were stuck. The Titan howled and with that scream of anger it averted its attention from the entirety of the Scouting Legion to only Levi, who in turn gritted his teeth and leapt up, off his horse and into the sky.

Shooting and pulling at the wires, Levi maneuvered himself up and forward, trying to fly overhead so he could kill it swiftly. It was routine, and even though his stomach did flips as he spun around at a breakneck speed, his body knew the motions and everything seemed to go according to plan. He could take it out before it could cause any harm.

It screamed and roared as Levi dragged his blades through its body in crisscross markings, blood spurting out like waterfalls of crimson. He was getting close, and in a matter of seconds he now shot overhead of the thing. He could see where the cut had to be made, in that moment where time stood still, as he hovered mid-air before dropping down again. He pulled in his wires and got ready to shoot.

It tilted its head back.

Bulging eyes snapped up, focused and entirely too human-like. Calculating and full of murderous intent. Levi was unable to alter his direction as he came down again, gravity pulling him in with the promise of death as he hesitated, taken aback by the way the thing had looked at him.

Was it an intelligent being? Did it have a plan?

Long arms reached behind it, and as the Captain tried to reach the tough flesh of its nape, it swiftly bent its spine all the way back. It placed bony hands flat against the earth, bending backwards and flattening its feet on the ground. It remained like that, on hands and feet, hollowed back like a bridge.

Levi fell down, dizzy with the sudden shift and uncertain of the best course of action. To get to the nape he would have to get underneath. He needed to change his aim so he could go under instead of above.

Careful not to break eye contact with it, he landed. His knees buckled enough for him to stumble. A bead of sweat dripped onto his boot from the tip of his nose. He let go of the breath he’d been holding when the metallic click of the hooks slamming back into their holsters sounded.

The trampling hooves of the Corps continued to soften into the distance, but some soldiers began slowing down to wait for him, noticing that this was not going down as it should have. His own Squad too, saw what was happening and lessened their speed to keep an eye on the situation. Nobody had seen something like this before.

There they stood, staring each other down. Neither made a move. The Titan upside down like a fleshy bridge, slick with blood, and Levi mere meters from its face struggling to remain upright on wobbly legs, ready to pass out and unsure of the best course of action. If he decided to go underneath he would have to be fast, if it dropped its torso down on him, he would be crushed.

Levi tried to look past it, to find Erwin because his head was hurting and please, please he needed orders. He saw his Squad with the most shocked looks on their faces, joined by Hanji and some others he didn’t know- which would have been good, if they had made any move to help him.

Still as a statue, Levi stood in front of the giant, silently begging his colleagues to do something, anything to distract it so he could make a move.

They didn’t, standing stunned at the display before them, appearing equally lost and clueless as Levi felt. Whether they were in shock or scared to do something was unimportant. If none of them snapped out of their stupor, they would see him get killed in front of them. Erwin had gone on ahead to lead the formation away from them. He was on his own. His eyes locked back on the Titan’s.

It saw the desperation on the little figure’s features. Smelled how sick he was, tasted the tension in the air. It took in oxygen through the holes where a nose should have been and with this eerily gleeful expression, it smiled.

From this point forward, Levi was certain he was going to die. It was this weird thing that clicked in his previously silent mind. Apart from a jumble of feelings there hadn’t been many thoughts roaming around in his head before. Now however, like a sudden switch was turned upon seeing those yellowed rows of hungry teeth, it popped up. This is it. This thing is intelligent. You’re done for, this is going to be the end of you.

I’m going to die today.

So, with those happy little facts dancing around like a mantra, he let go. He let go of his carefulness, of his hopes and dreams and goals yet to achieve. If this fucker was going to take his life, he would give it his all. He would deliver a fight to go down in history. Take it down with him.

So, overcome with the most unnatural sensation of absolute finality and utter freedom…

Levi smiled back.

Wires extended and with a jolt his body surged forward. Teeth snapped closed near his head when he passed them. His muscles could very well be screaming at him to seize this effort, to stop this madness because it hurt so unbelievably bad. As he plunged his swords deeply into the body of the monster, he almost thought that he was ripping his own body apart and still, the sheer agony that coursed through his feverish body was not nearly enough to make him slow down.

He slashed and the thing flailed at him, thick red liquid cascading down and decorating the strands of grass beneath with its color and helping him slide across the wetness, going under the scarily bent vertebra above. Dark shadows fell over him as he tried to get to the nape, cutting off all sunlight and at the same time sparking this little speck of hope in his heart when he realized that he still had a chance. He saw how the spine overhead began to twist and turn, head moving to deny him access to its weak spot. Everything hurt. He was shaking and had trouble holding on to his blades.

The Titan began to lower its body. If it dropped down, there was no chance on survival. He would be broken beyond repair. He took his chance when he saw it.

His hooks found purchase at the base of its skull. He extended his blades and with the last bit of power his body possessed, he rammed forward, aiming for the nape as the abnormal dropped itself on top of him. He felt the familiar slashing, flesh giving away as he defeated it. Then the unfamiliar and horribly audible crunching of his own bones as he was buried alive under the dead weight of the still warm body he’d turned into a corpse with his last efforts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I left you at a massive cliff hanger.. and here's a news that can be either good or bad.  
> We haven't written much far past this point so the details are unplanned. That's why from this chapter you can start suggesting details (like Levi and Erwin moments/what happens to Levi/...etc) in the comments section (or DM me through tumblr) and we'll try to include them as much as we can in future chapters :)   
> To give everyone a fair chance to participate, we'll be changing the update schedule to once in every 10 days.  
> So the next update will be around July 10th!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone, I'm so sorry for the late update... I was pretty busy with stuff going on in life.. Anyways this update is pretty short but I really felt like I should at least upload something so here it is.. Hope you enjoy! (Unfortunately, for this chapter we couldn't co-write)

Erwin’s blood chilled when heard terrified screams coming from behind. Surely Levi would have succeeded, but then why were the soldiers screaming? Unless… No, it can’t be. Dreading what he was about to face, Erwin slowed down his horse to see what was happening. He let a relieved sigh when he saw the dead remains of the titan dissolving into the air. But his eyes widened as he watched Levi’s squad race towards the titan, and he realized in horror that Levi was nowhere to be seen.

Erwin turned to Mike in despair and Mike nodded.

“Go,” said Mike.

They exchanged glances, many unsaid words passing between them.

Erwin shouted an order to the rest of the soldiers as he rushed to where Levi presumably was.

“All troops, follow squad leader Mike!”

 

Erwin could only stare as he stood before the titan’s carcass and watched Hanji and Petra pull out Levi from beneath it. Erwin closed his eyes trying not to lose it himself. Blood was everywhere. Even now, a pool of blood was steadily forming on the ground, soaking the grass in red. A broken shard of sword was impaled deep in Levi’s thigh and trickles of blood escaped his mouth, showing a severe case of internal bleeding. His ribs were most likely broken. He looked so lifeless as Hanji slowly laid him down on the ground. Erwin slid off his horse and stumbled towards Levi.

    “What happened?” his voice was hoarse.

When no one answered he looked up, meeting the ashamed gaze of Levi’s squad.

    “Commander,” said Eld. His eyes were cast down.

    “We apologize deeply for not telling you this. It was an order from Captain Levi.”

    “What was?” asked Erwin, the sense of dread filling him once again.

    “Captain Levi seemed to have a headache from the first day when we set off on the expedition. But he ordered us to keep silent.”

Erwin didn’t respond. He couldn’t. What had he done? How could he have missed all the signs? How could he have been too fucking selfish to misinterpret them? He had been so involved in his own worries that he had missed Levi was trying to tell him something. And this was the result. It was all his fault. He had ordered this to Levi. He had ordered him to die. And Levi had obeyed, trusting him to the end, following all of his commands like a good soldier should, despite his condition. He had brought this on Levi.

Erwin’s voice was low as he ordered,

     “Bring a stretcher. We have to move fast or else he is going to die from blood loss.”

     “Yes, sir,” said Eld grimly.

Erwin turned his attention back to Levi. He had to stop the flow of blood as fast as possible. He would have to make a tourniquet.

     “Anyone, quick, give me some strips of cloth and something sturdy. Hanji, I need you to help me,” he said.

   A cloth, a long piece of wood, and some bandages were handed to Erwin as he and Hanji set down to work.

   “Everyone else, keep on the lookout for more titans. We can’t move Captain Levi yet, especially with his ribs in this state,” he said.

   “Hanji, can you take care of his leg?” he asked, lowering his voice.

Hanji looked down at the wound, her eyes doubtful, but she nodded.

   “We have to try at least.”

   “Just make sure he doesn’t lose his leg.”

The sound of approaching hooves caught Erwin’s attention and he saw one of the supply carts and Eld riding beside it. Soon they would be out of immediate danger. Hanji seemed to be almost done with the tourniquet and with the supply cart, they could get Levi on it and get back to the safety of the formation. But as Eld approached closer, Erwin could see something was troubling him.

   “Commander!” shouted Eld as soon as he was close enough to be heard.

   “Multiple titan attacks at the front with growing casualties! Squad Leader Mike has requested your lead!”

Erwin swore he felt the last ounce of strength drain out from his body. First Levi, and after not even a couple of minutes incoming titan attacks… He didn’t have time to think about making future discoveries.

   “All troops retreat!!” he roared as he loaded a green flare gun. He pulled the trigger and blasted a green streak into the air, signaling the retreat. He confirmed the green flares going off in the distance before setting his attention back to Levi and Hanji.

   “Hanji and Levi’s squad, get the Captain on the cart and start back towards the walls. I’ll collect the rest of the troops and send reinforcements to aid you,” he said.

   “Yes, sir!” they saluted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There won't be any scheduled updates from now on due to the fact that I've run out of pre-written chapters. So on the bright side, I will be including more and more of the stuff you'd like to see (leave them in the comments if you have any ideas). On the down side, the updates might be slower. If you all are okay with shorter updates, I might be able to make an update at least once every two weeks. Longer chapters may take up to a month. Let me know which schedule you prefer in the comments!!


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